The group art show at the PII Gallery features three Philadelphia-based artists: Asya Livshits, Aissulu Kadyrzhanova and Elena Drozdova. All three women were born in the Soviet Union, the country that ceased to exist in 1991. Following their unique life paths they found their way to the City of Brotherly Love. Asya Livshits was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, and moved to Philadelphia from Tbilisi, Georgia; Elena Drozdova moved from Moscow, Russia; and Aissulu Kadyrzhanova moved from Almaty, Kazakhstan via Moscow, Russia. All three artists call Philadelphia their home.

The show is rooted in the ideas of what it is like to be a transplant female artist. Each artist expresses their narrative in a different visual manner.

Three artists are united by the desire to be understood in their new land, as artists and women. The “foreign-female-artist” trifecta may sometimes feel like excess baggage, while fundamentally it is an enriching and distinct quality that is worth cultivating and appreciating.

“Excess Baggage” show is curated by RSPN Board Member Maria V. Kraybill, maria@theartillerie.com

Dinner In White

Come join us at the annual "Dinner In White" party at the charming Bridgetown Mill House Inn in historic Bucks County. Please attend in your favorite all-white attire for a tastefully quaint evening that holds all the appeal of the exclusive Diner En Blanc. For this event, there is no need to bring your own tables and chairs, as everything will be provided for you. The event begins at 6:30 pm, and will conclude at 9:30. Further details pertaining to the event, along with RSVP information, will be coming shortly.

RSPN hosts an annual forum each year with an educational segment (2 CLE credits) and a catered networking reception afterwards. On October 22, 2015, between 4:30pm and 8pm at International House on Penn’s campus, RSPN will hold its 4th Annual Business Trends Forum that will focus on healthcare and technology.

In the past, our distinguished speakers have included Arkady Dobkin, CEO of Epam Systems (www.epam.com), a NYSE publicly traded company; Steve Boymel, co-founder and VP at Farlex, who operates www.thefreedictionary.com (which has served over 7 billion visitors and is among the top in the world in terms of traffic); and Dmitry Akhanov, President and CEO of RUSNANO USA, Inc. (an affiliate of a $10 billion Russian investment fund).

It was great to see many of you at the RSPN Happy Hour at the Pyramid Club this month! What a fantastic way to re-connect with old friends and to meet new ones, all while extending the NYE celebrations! As you may have heard, RSPN has a great deal of activities planned for 2013. As we are finalizing the details, we still wanted to give you an idea of what to expect in the coming months:

February 26 – “Lunch and Learn” event at Duane Morris in Center City Philadelphia. Topic: Dealing With Changes In The Tax Code.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please download the Event Sponsorship Form below for more information or contact Max Tabak at (267) 241-3814 or max.tabak@pnc.com

All the incumbent directors have been re-elected (Vlad, Inez, Zoya, Henry, Tanya, Katya and Svetlana), except for Max Voltchenko who opted not to stand for re-election. Max Voltchenko will remain active in the affairs of RSPN by serving on the Social Media Outreach and Outside Partnership committees. Max will also continue to participate in the Board’s meetings in a non-voting (advisory) capacity.

The new Board will become fully effective as of January 1, 2012. However, new Board members may participate in Board meetings (and are encouraged to do so) as non-voting Members right away.